CHICAGO – Perhaps J.B. Bickerstaff set the expectations bar a bit too low.
After waiting five days for Jonas Valanciunas’ immigration paperwork process to finally clear after last week’s trade, Bickerstaff repeatedly tried to temper expectations as he spoke with reporters during his pregame media session before Tuesday’s game against the Spurs.
First, Valanciunas was making his Grizzlies debut after a prolonged delay once he arrived from Toronto.
Secondly, the 26-year-old Lithuanian center was acquired as the key component in the trade that sent Marc Gasol, the most decorated player in Grizzlies franchise history, to the Raptors.
Thirdly – and perhaps most importantly – Valanciunas hadn’t played a game in two months as he recovered from surgery to repair a thumb he dislocated on Dec. 12 against the Warriors.
“It’s going to take some time,” Bickerstaff cautioned moments before Valanciunas was officially activated to return. “It’s not like we’re expecting him to go out and be a 20(point)-10(rebound) guy right away. He’s got that type of talent and ability. But we’ve got to be patient with him initially.”
Apparently, Valanciunas had other plans. Among the biggest takeaways from Tuesday’s 108-107 loss to the Spurs was the massively encouraging performance from the Grizzlies’ new big man. Valanciunas has significant shoes to fill as he gets acclimated during the season’s stretch run, which continues Wednesday against the Bulls in the Grizzlies’ final game before the weeklong All-Star break.
But Valanciunas seamlessly stepped into a difficult role he made look rather easy on his way to supplying the type of double-double Bickerstaff warned was too soon to expect. Valanciunas came off the bench to shoot 9-for-11 from the field for 23 points, 10 rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes. It would be foolish to overstate a one-game sample size, but it’s fair to suggest that in his first game with Memphis, Valanciunas provided a snapshot of promise and potential that generates excitement.
He uses his body efficiently. He’s mobile. He knows how to play the game – you can see it out there, he flows right in with us. No hesitation or anything, so it’s great to have him on the floor.
Jaren Jackson Jr.
On the surface, Valanciunas plays at the same size as Gasol and with the familiar physicality of Zach Randolph. Lofty comparisons? Sure. But Valanciunas isn’t the kind of guy to shy away from his new role. He was the interior anchor of a lot of good Toronto teams that advanced deep in the playoffs during his seven years in the league, and Valanciunas was the Raptors’ longest-tenured player before last week’s trade.
Time will tell if Valanciunas is the long-term solution as a rugged, rebounding, paint scoring enforcer to protect Jaren Jackson Jr. and allow the franchise’s prized rookie to blossom at power forward. Valanciunas can either opt out of his contract at the end of the season and test free agency or opt into the $17.6 million salary he’s guaranteed for next season and become a free agent in the summer of 2020.
For now, the Grizzlies would opt for a few more performances like the one Valanciunas bulldozed his way through Tuesday night. It probably won’t be long before he’s in the starting lineup alongside Jackson.
“He’s a big help – great size, great strength,” Jackson said of Valanciunas, who is listed at 7-feet, 265 pounds. “He uses his body efficiently. He’s mobile. He knows how to play the game – you can see it out there, he flows right in with us. No hesitation or anything, so it’s great to have him on the floor.”
Bickerstaff looks forward to the options the Grizzlies have at power forward and center heading into the final 24 games, with Ivan Rabb and Joakim Noah regularly in the rotation in addition to Valanciunas and Jackson.
“We’re open to making changes (but) we didn’t feel comfortable throwing Jonas out into the fire right away,” Bickerstaff said. “For a guy who hasn’t played since December, I think he did a heck of a job.”
CABOCLO IN TOW
Bruno Caboclo had a pretty good idea he might be sticking around for a while once he was told to head to the airport late Tuesday night with the rest of his teammates for the flight to Chicago.
The Grizzlies signed Caboclo to a multiyear contract on Wednesday that includes the rest of this season and next season. The new deal came after the 6-9 forward’s second 10-day contract with the team expired after the loss to the Spurs on Tuesday, when Caboclo finished with four points, four rebounds and three blocks off the bench.
Caboclo has averaged 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 21 minutes over 10 games this season, and both the Grizzlies’ coaching staff and front office have been intrigued by his size, length, defensive instincts and offensive potential. A native of Brazil, Caboclo spent his first three seasons in the Toronto Raptors’ development system after being drafted 20th overall in 2014, but was signed last month by the Grizzlies from the G League.
“I’ve just tried to get on the court, stay calm and not make mistakes,” Caboclo said. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve not worried about the 10-days. I just want to go out there and do my best.”
The Grizzlies see Caboclo, 23, as part of a meshing and developing young core of players that include Jackson (19), Rabb (21), Tyler Dorsey (22), Dillon Brooks (22), Jevon Carter (23), Yuta Watanabe (24) and Kyle Anderson (25).
REUNION GAME
The Grizzlies play their final game before the All-Star break against the Bulls on Wednesday, and it’ll be a reunion of sorts for two key members of the rotation who have had a recent resurgence in Memphis.
Noah and swingman Justin Holiday return to face their former team for the first time since they joined the Grizzlies. Both players are in their most productive stretches of the season.
Through four February games, Noah is averaging 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 62.1 percent. In Saturday’s win over the Pelicans, Noah set his season highs with 19 points and 14 rebounds. It was his most productive game off the bench since 2008, which was his second NBA season with the Bulls. Noah went on to become the 2014 NBA Defensive Player of the Year with Chicago.
Holiday, acquired in a trade from the Bulls last month, is averaging 14.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 34.8 minutes over his last five games. In that stretch, Holiday is shooting 42.9 percent from three-point range. At the time he arrived in the trade, Holiday ranked in the top 10 among NBA players in total made threes and steals on the season.
“It was a little tough making the adjustment to a new team, new players and everything,” Holiday said of his initial struggles before finding his rhythm. “But the confidence was always there. I’m a confident guy. It was just a matter of getting to my spots and finding my shots. I always felt it would come together.”
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